— 79 — JOBS. SCHMIDT 



able to discover the pelagic young of Gadus luscus only in small quantities, this would 

 indicate that this species, which in any case has its northern limit at the Shetlands and 

 is also a distinctly southern form, does not reproduce there to any great extent. I must, 

 however, at least so far as my own observations are concerned, make the reservation, that 

 quite^ near to the coasts where we have not been able to work considerable quantities of 

 the pelagic fry may possibly be found ; but in any case there can scarcely be any doubt 

 that the species does not reproduce in this region to anything like the same extent as in 

 the Channel, where I have found the pelagic fry in almost every single haul and often 

 in considerable numbers (see p. 81). 



4. North Sea 

 Our numerous stations in the North Sea were investigated in the latter half of April 

 and the first half of May, and also in July in which month in 1905 we had a line from 

 the Channel to Esbjerg, from Esbjerg to Aberdeen and from Aberdeen to Bergen, whilst 

 in July 1906 we had a line from the Orkneys to Bergen, from Bergen to Leith, from 

 Leith to the Skager Rak, from the Skager Rak to West Hartlepool and from there to 

 Esbjerg. Lastly, both in September and in August we had a line across both the most 

 northern and the most southern parts of the North Sea; and in June and July 1907 a 

 thorough investigation was made of the Skager Rak at numerous stations (ca. 35). It will 

 be seen therefore that practically all parts of the North Sea and Skager Rak were invest- 

 igated at very different times of the year. As we did not find a single specimen of the 

 pelagic fry of Gadus luscus in spite of all the numbers of hauls which from time to time 

 were made in the northern, central and eastern parts of the North Sea and in the Skager 

 Rak, I can only conclude that this species does not spawn in these waters, or if so only 

 to an extremely small degree '. The only occasion on which I have found the pelagic fry 

 of Gadus luscus in the North Sea was at St. 101, July 1st 1905, in the southern part 

 between Holland and England (52°21'N., 3° 21' E., depth 26 meters, bottom temperature 

 14"22°), where a single small specimen of ca. 7 mm. was taken, but no specimens were 

 taken on the same line (from Esbjerg to the Channel) at the end of April. From this 

 we may well conclude at any rate that Gadus luscus only reproduces in the most south- 

 ern part of the North Sea, but in far from such large numbers as in the Channel and 

 also later in the year than there (see below). In the most southern part of the North 

 Sea off the Belgian coast young specimens of Gadus luscus are fairly common. This is 

 seen for example from Gilson's report to the Central Bureau on "Researches on Shore 

 Fishing on the Belgian Coast", 1907. Through his investigations over the quantity of 

 young fish destroyed by the Belgian fishermen, Gilson comes to the result, that an Osteud 

 cutter in the course of 44 days work caught 66 undersized Gadus luscus (against 397 

 Gadus merlangus) and an open Ostend boat of 2 tons in 216 days of work caught 463 

 undersized Gadus luscus (against 1852 Gadus merlangus). We see therefore that fairly 

 considerable quantities of young Gadus luscus must occur on the Belgian coast, but it 

 may be remarked that in addition to those perhaps spawned there the stock is certainly 

 recruited by fry carried in from the Channel, where the production of the young of this 

 species is very large. 



' According to friendly intimation from Dr. Johan Hjort the Norwegian investigations have not taken 

 the fry of this species, neither in the ISiorth Sea nor in the Norwegian Sea. 



